Two flying veterans together again

Howard Stroupe stands on a trailer that carries a front section of an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet that he is planning to display at air shows. Stroupe flew the F-4 Phantom II in the Air Force from 1974 to 1978 at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska.
The Olympian

They served together during the Vietnam War, scouting the skies for Russian invaders and chasing them out of American airspace.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard Stroupe III gave up his status as a fighter pilot in 1978, settling into a long career as an airline pilot with a penchant for collecting.

Space memorabilia, movie posters, fossils – you name it, Stroupe has boxes of it at his Federal Way home.

After decades of amassing such items, he last month added the crowning glory to his massive collection.